Moroccan Fekka Cookies Anise Biscotti Food

ANISE BISCOTTI

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Line 2 cookie sheets with parchment paper or foil.
• In large mixing bowl, beat sugar and butter until light and fluffy. Add eggs one at a time, beating well after each addition. Combine brandy, anise extract and vanilla in a small bowl or measuring cup. In a medium bowl, combine flour, baking powder and salt. Alternately add dry ingredients and brandy mixture to the butter mixture, beginning and ending with the dry ingredients. Stir in the almonds and aniseed.
• Drop dough by spoonfuls onto prepared sheet, forming two 2 x 13-inch long strips on each sheet. Smooth dough into logs with moistened fingertips.
• Bake about30 to 35 minutes or until golden and firm to the touch. Place cookie sheets on racks and cool completely. Reduce the oven temperature to 300 degrees F.
• Cut cooled logs on the diagonal into 3/4-inch thick slices using a serrated knife. Place slices on cookie sheets.
• Bake for about 20 minutes, turning after 10 minutes, until dry and slightly brown. Remove to a rack and cool.

MOROCCAN TEA BISCUITS

Steps:

• Stir together sugar, butter, almonds, orange-flower water, anise seeds, extracts, and 1/4 cup sesame seeds in a large bowl. Add eggs and stir until well combined. Stir in flour, baking powder, and salt until just combined. Chill dough, covered, 1 hour.
• Preheat oven to 350°F with rack in middle.
• Using moistened hands, halve dough and form 2 (11- by 3-inch) loaves on an ungreased baking sheet. Brush with enough egg wash to coat, then sprinkle with remaining tablespoon sesame seeds.
• Bake until pale golden, about 30 minutes. Loosen from baking sheet with a spatula, then transfer loaves to a rack and cool 15 minutes. (Leave oven on.)
• Cut warm loaves into 3/4-inch slices with a serrated knife and arrange biscuits, with a cut side down, on a clean baking sheet. Bake until golden, 20 to 25 minutes. Transfer to rack to cool completely.

ANISE BISCOTTI

Steps:

• Line a baking pan with foil; set aside. In a large bowl, combine the flour, baking powder, aniseed, salt, cinnamon and nutmeg; set aside., In a large bowl, cream butter and 3/4 cup sugar until light and fluffy. Beat in vanilla and eggs. Stir in almonds and reserved flour mixture. , Divide dough in half. Shape each into a 12-in. x 2-in. rectangle on the prepared baking pan. Smooth the surface of each rectangle; brush with milk and sprinkle with remaining sugar., Bake at 375° for 20 minutes or until golden brown and firm to the touch. Remove from the oven and reduce heat to 300°., Transfer rectangles with foil to a wire racks; cool for 15 minutes. Place rectangles on a cutting board; cut diagonally into 1/2-in. slices. Place slices, cut side down, on baking pans. , Bake 10-12 minutes longer. Turn oven off, leaving cookies in oven to cool with door ajar. Store cookies in airtight containers.

MOROCCAN FEKKA COOKIES (ANISE BISCOTTI)

Steps:

• Beat eggs and sugar until mixture is white. Add oil, and beat until well mixed. Add the walnuts, raisins, anise, baking powder, baking soda, and vanilla, mixing well while adding flour in small bits at a time.
• Shape dough into 6 small loaves, each about 2 inches in diameter and 8 inches long. Place loaves on a greased baking sheet about 1 inch apart. Bake in a 350º oven for 12 to 15 minutes or until light brown. Cool; let stand about 8 hours.
• Use a sharp knife to cut loaves into 1/2-inch slices. Place the slices on an ungreased baking sheet, and bake in a 350º oven until the slices are golden brown.
• Let the fekkas cool a bit, then transfer cookies to a rack to cool completely.
• Fekkas can be stored in an airtight plastic container for up to a month, or they will keep well in the freezer for several months.

ANISE BISCOTTI

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 350°F.
• Beat the eggs well.
• Add sugar, oil, salt, and anise flavoring and beat well.
• Sift flour and baking powder together. Add to egg mixture.
• Grease 2 bread pans (12" X 3 1/2" X 2 1/2") and line them with waxed paper (or parchment paper) about 17" X 3 1/2 " wide. (The extra ends will provide a handle to remove the loaves later.)
• Ladle batter into prepared pans until about 1 inch deep.
• Bake at 350° for 25-35 minutes. Remove loaves from pan and slice (about 1/2 inch thick).
• Place slices on cookie sheets and return to the hot oven to toast. (DO NOT use insulated pans!) Be careful as the bottom of the cookie browns first. Turn them over and toast the other side.
• Remove when both sides are toasty colored. Let cool.
• "These are not the industrial-strength biscotti that the coffee shops sell. They are fragile and need to be handled with TLC. But, hey, the broken cookies are so good that we put them in a little bowl with milk and eat them with a spoon! And they do freeze well! Just pop them in the toaster to freshen them up. They're fabulous dipped in coffee or milk.".

LEMON AND ANISE BISCOTTI

Steps:

• Make sure there is a rack in the middle slot of the oven. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Butter 1 large nonstick baking sheet & have 1 ungreased baking sheet ready.
• Toast almonds on the ungreased baking sheet for 10 minutes, or until golden brown.
• In a small skillet, toast the aniseed, shaking the pan, over medium heat for 3 minutes or until fragrant.
• Process sugar & zest in a food processor until zest is finely ground.
• In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, coriander, baking powder & salt.
• In a medium bowl with an electric mixer, beat butter & suger mixture together, beginning on low speed & increasing to medium-high, until combined well.
• Add the eggs, one at a time, beating well after each addition, then reduce the speed to low & add flour mixture & aniseed, beating just until blended.
• With a rubber spatula, stir in the almonds.
• Halve the dough & place both portions on the buttered baking sheet.
• Quickly form each piece into a 12:x1" log, & place them at least 3 inches apart on the buttered baking sheet, then smooth the 2 logs with dampened fingers.
• Bake for 35 minutes, turning the baking sheet once, or until logs are golden brown & beginning to crack on top.
• Let cool on the baking sheet for 10 minutes, then transfer logs to a cutting board & with a sharp knife, cut each log into 1/8-inch slices.
• Arrange slices on the same baking sheet & return to the oven.
• Bake for about 16 minutes, turning the cookies over halfway through the baking, until crisp & golden brown on both sides.
• Let cool on a wire rack, then store in an airtight container for up to 1 month.